Shoe.



M. MURRIS.

SHOE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-25,1918.

1,28%,423, Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

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MOSES MORRIS, OF HAVEBIHILL, MASSAGHUSETTS.

SHOE.

Specification of Letters'Patent. Patented NOV. 12, 1918.

Application filed February 25, 1918. Serial No. 218,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Moses MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of I-Iaverhill, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of turned shoes it is customary, after the shoe is turned, to insert a sole-shaped stiffener in the shoe which ex tends from the heel end of the shoe to the front end of the shank portion, or adjacent the ball of the shoe, so that the shank will be stiffened without affecting the flexibility of the shoe. In placing the stiffener in position in the shoe, it is customary to apply an adhesive to its under surface and to drive several tacks therethrough into the sole, to hold it in position until the adhesive sets, one tack usually being driven into the heel portion and another into the front end portion of the stiffener.

The purpose of driving the tack through the front end portion of the stiffener is to hold said portion against the sole until the adhesive therebetween becomes dry. and to assist in holding it in place thereafter. It frequently happens, however, that in testing the shoe as to flexibility before it is sold. and also when worn, this portion of the stiffener becomes detached so that it protrudes, or sticks up into the sock lining, thus making the shoe defective and causing it to be uncomfortable to the wearer, and to be liable to catch in the stocking when the shoe is removed from the foot. The apparent reason why the stiffener becomes detached in this manner is because it is stifi throughout its length and is securely attached at its heel portion to the shoe, by the heel attaching nails, so that bending of the sole causes the stifiener to act as a lever to Dry its front end loose from the sole, the strength of the tack and the adhesive being insufficient to hold the stiffener in place. A contributing cause to the insufficient strength of the adhesive connection is the fact that, in many instances, the adhesive is imperfect on account of the fact that the surfaces which are supposed to adhere are not properly pressed to; gether, so as to secure strong adhesion, on account of the stiffness of the parts. Also the use. of the tack, for this purpose, is objectionable as it must be driven through the sole to the outside and clenched, and the ,under side of this tongue clenched end is not only objectionable on account of its injury to the appearance of the shoe bottom, but it also frequently tears the sand paper of the buffing roll when the shoe bottom is buffed.

The object of my invention is to provide,

in connection with the ordinary shank stiflener'for turned shoes, means for attaching its front portion to the inner side of the outer sole in such a manner that it cannot be detached by bending the sole, and in connection with which the use of a tack at this point is rendered unnecessary.

I accomplish this object by providing a stiffener of ordinary form with a thin flexible tongue, at its front end, which is adapted to be adhesively attached to the outer sole, and which is so arranged that flexing of the sole will not cause the stiffener to become detached therefrom.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of an ordinary turned shoe provided with an embodiment of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are top and edge views of the form of stiffener which I employ.

In the drawing an ordinary turned shoe a is shown as provided with a shank stiffener b of usual form, said stiffener being sole shaped to'fit in the bottom of the shoe and adapted to extend from the heel ball portion thereof.

According to my invention, I provide a end to the strip a of upper leather, canvas, or other suitable material, which is thin, as compared with the material, usually leather board, of which the stiffener is made, and is strong and flexible, and adhesively connect the same to theinner side of said stiffener, at its front end, in such a position that approximately one half the strip overlaps the entire front end portion of the stiffener,

and the other half extends beyond the front edge thereof, forming a flexible tongue. The ortion is coated with an adhesive, just be ore the stifi'ener is placed in position in the shoe, sothat, when this has been done, the workman merely presses the tongue down on the inner sole portion directly beneath it, so that it is adhesively connected thereto. As the front portion of the stiffener is skived to a sharp edge, the surfaces, to which the strip 0 is attached, will be practically continuous and, as the strip is of thin material, it will not cause substantial unevenness in the shoe, particularly after the sock lining has been inserted.

As thus arranged, the strip 0 will securely attach the front end portion of the stiffener to the shoe bottom, and will hold the front edge thereof down close to, or in contact with the surface of the sole, thereby preventing detachment of said front end portion in case the sole is bent either in wear, or from testing the flexibility.

This method of attaching the stiflener is advantageous over the method previously employed, for the reason that almost perfect adhesion will be secured between the strip and the inner surface of the sole, by reason of the flexibility of the strip, which readily conforms to the surface of the sole when pressed thereagainst. The adhesive connection between the stiffener and shoe bottom is not only stronger, but the leverage action of the stiffener, which would tend to lift it front end from the sole,

is not effective, in this way, to detach the.

tongue formed by the strip, as the tongue will readily bend, and at the most, the stiffener will merely exert a longitudinal pull on the tongue at the point where it leaves the stiffener. As the strip 6 passes over the front edge of the stiffener at the inner side of the shoe, the tendenc to pull the end of the stiffener away rom the strip is avoided, which would occur if the strip were attached to the side of the stiffener next the sole.

The lifting up of the front end of the stiffener is thus effectively prevented, and the use of a tack therein is avoided.

I claim 1. In combination with. a shoe, a shank stiffener therein extending from the heel end to the ball portion thereof, and having a tongue-of relatively thin flexible material extending from the front end thereof and adhesively attached to the inner side of the outer sole, to hold the front edge of the stiffener in close proximity to the outer sole.

2. In combination with a shoe a shank stiffener therein extending from the heel end to the ball portion thereof, and a strip of relatively thin flexible material adhe sively attached to the inner side of the front end portion of said stiffener and to the inner surface of the outer sole closely adjacent the front edge of the stiffener, to hold said front end portion in close proximity to the sole.

3. A stiffener for shoes adapted to extend the shoe, and having a strip of thin, flexible from the heel and to the ball portion of and strong material attached to the inner side of its front end portion and extending beyond its front edge to form a tongue adapted tobe adhesively attached to the inner side of the outer sole of the shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MOSES MORRIS. 

